NEWS UPDATE 21-02-2004:Suffering from crop circle cold turkey? Then we might have the solution. Here's your chance to win a crop circle DVD. Those altruistic folks over at "Shout Factory" have given us 4 copies of the feature length crop circle documentary "Crop Circles: Quest for truth" directed by William Gazecki. You can view a quicktime trailer for the movie here. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of the DVD's is answer the following question:

What's the title of Gazecki's previous Academy Award nominated film?
Note: Competion is now closed.

SITE UPDATE 29-10-2003:People usually contact us when they are looking for something big. So we were not surprised when we received a call asking if we would be interested in helping put together the largest card trick in the world for a Channel 5 magic series called "The Greatest Magic Tricks in the Universe Ever!". They wanted us to create a crop circle in the shape of a "3 of Clubs" playing card to be the centre piece of the trick. Find out more in our new section "Big Tricks!".

SITE UPDATE 28-09-2003:It's traditional for us British to venture forth to the seaside whenever a bank holiday comes around. So with that spirit in mind - as well as a sand circle commission from mobile phone operator o2 - we all flew up to Blackpool beach for the August 2003 bank holiday. Pictured right, circlemaker Wil Russell puts the finishing touches to the formation. We've created a new section about the project called "Make It, Forget It".

NEWS UPDATE 27-09-2003:We've just received some very sad news, Graham Birdsall (pictured below) who was the editor of UFO magazine has died. He was rushed into hospital after suffering a brain haemorrhage on September 11th. He never regained consciousness and died on the 19th September. All of us at circlemakers.org send our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Circlemakers had a long time association with Graham. His magazine regularly featured crop circles and he was present when the idea of creating this very site was first talked about back in 1995. Both John Lundberg and Rod Dickinson contributed to the magazine and most recently in April 2003 John Lundberg visited him at the UFO magazine offices in Leeds to interview him for an upcoming documentary project, he was his usual convivial self and gave a cracking interview. Rest in peace Graham.

SITE UPDATE 26-09-2003:
We've always joked about going "on tour", but when the US micro processor manufacturer AMD rang up and said "would you like to spend 10 days touring across the UK and US making crop circles" it was no longer a joke but a rather surreal reality. And that's exactly what we've just done. We've created a new section all about our biggest project to date called "Mysterious Markings?".

SITE UPDATE 11-08-2003:
When we were asked to create a large scale advert that could be seen from planes landing at Gatwick airport we didn't realise that we might be heading for the record books. Find out more about the project in our "Big Budget" section.

SITE UPDATE 03-08-2003:
It's not very often that a new crop circle site appears, but this summer Bertold Zugelder a graphic designer from Wuerzburg, Germany has launched cropcircle-archive.com. The entire site is constructed in Flash so you'll need a fast computer and some fat bandwith to get the most out of the site, but assuming you have the above this is great new addition to the online family of crop circle websites. Like most other crop circle sites it's believer-biased, but unlike most other crop circle websites it's beautifully designed. The site is still growing and there are a few empty corners, but Bertold seems to be gradually filling them up. For instance theres a nifty little section that will appeal to all crop circle enthusuasts, be you a researcher or a circlemaker, it features step by step instructions and illustrations on how to construct various types of geometry.

His Crop circle archive should please anyone with an interest in circles. He's created silhouette diagrams for every one of the 2003 crop circle formations and even construction sequences for several of the designs - no mean feat! The editiorial is pretty sparse at the moment and although there is text about fungus, earth energies, quantum fields and orgone energy the sections about land art and hoaxing are still to be added. We await Bertold's take on this side of the phenomenon with interest.

If he keeps the editorial on a par with the graphic design this is going to be a fantastic site. Let's hope it doesn't go the way of other fly-by-night crop circle websites such as cropcircles.co.uk which according to their splash page seems to be suffering from 405 Technical Problems!

SITE UPDATE 23-07-2003:Find out about the best bits of this years crop circle season in our "Top of the crops 2003" section.

You might have seen the recent Discovery Channel documentary "Crop Circles: Mystery in the Fields" where they asked several MIT students to try and create some of the biological effects alleged by 'researchers' to be found in 'genuine' formations, such as blown nodes, and magnetized iron spheres (see The Fe3 project for our explanation of that one!). Anyway the production company have passed on this message that they received on their answer-phone after the show aired in the US, it makes for hilarious is somewhat worrying listening. If you know who this psychotic individual is, or maybe you ARE the psychotic individual who placed the call, let us know and we'll send you a complimentary circlemakers t-shirt!

NEWS UPDATE 01-06-2003:There's a chapter about us in Iain Aitch's new book "A Fete Worse Than Death" (Released in Hardback on June 2nd). After a good deal of pestering we agreed to let Iain join us out in the fields last summer. The book has been described as "side-splittingly funny" " and "The funniest book I've read this year" in the press. We think it's a great piece of writing and look forward to seeing the book race up the best seller charts, go on buy a copy or five.

SITE UPDATE 04-05-2003:
It's that time of year again, the rape is in full flower, circlemakers around the country are dusting off their stompers and heading for the fields and the 2003 crop circle season is now underway.

Meanwhile we've been busy working on our biggest commision to date, we can't say too much at the moment - but for a big hint - check out our new Big Brother page.

SITE UPDATE 19-02-2003:
We've added a new article. "The Mystery Business" by circlemaker Rob Irving takes a look at the crop circle phenomenon from an anthropological point of view.

NEWS UPDATE 18-01-2003:
To tie in with the BBC screening of Steven Spielberg's series "Taken" - which features crop circles - BBC online have built a mini-site about crop circles that features us.

NEWS UPDATE 10-01-2003:
No, that's not us pictured on the right, it's "The Levellers" in their new music video for "Wild As Angels" which is released this week. We created the crop circle that is featured in the video last summer, as well as giving the band a crash course in circlemaking, all the equipment used in the video is ours. You can watch the video over on their website. We also have a page dedicated to the project.

Also if you're in the UK Steven Spielberg's TV series "Taken" starts this Saturday (11 Jan) at 9pm. The BBC now have a website dedicated to the show, which also has a large photo of the crop circle featured in the series.

NEWS UPDATE 07-01-2003:
Word reaches us via Saucer Smear that Roswell researcher Kevin Randle has recently called into question the doctorate of Dr William Levengood (pictued right), whose research into biophysical changes in plant samples taken from crop circles is held up by many in the crop circle research community as "proof positive" that crop circles are not man made.

In response to Randle's allegation Levengood said that in reality he has a "PhD equivalent" from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Which all sounds perfectly reasonable, but... when NAS was contacted, they said that they were not a academic institution and don't issue "degree equivalents" of any kind, which leaves "Dr" Levengood somewhat in the lurch!

NEWS UPDATE 28-12-2002:We've just received some very sad news. Paul Randle (pictured right) died on Saturday 21st of December. Paul was part of the UBI (United Bureau of Investigation) who were involved in researching - and making - crop circles in the Wilshire area from as far back as the 1980s. They were immortalised in Jim Schnabel's book "Round in Circles". All of us at circlemakers.org send our deepest condolences to his family and friends, rest in peace Paul.

SITE UPDATE 03-11-2002:
Steven Spielberg's epic 20 part TV series "Taken" which focuses on the alien abduction phenomenon will also feature crop circles. Pictured right is one of the crop circles featured in the series. It's due for broadcast in the US in December and the BBC will be screening the series on BBC2 in 2003.

There have also been sketchy reports about another movie project which focuses on the crop circle phenomenon. Apparently it stars Billy Zane and is currently being filmed in Bulgaria.

With Winter closing in this site will be updated infrequently until the 2003 crop circle season is upon us, which should be some time around April/May next year depending on how fast the new batch of crops grow! 2002 was an amazing year for the crop circle phenomenon, with the movie Signs generating intense media interest and taking crop circles to their widest audience to date. Roll on 2003...

SITE UPDATE 29-9-2002:It's safe to say that the last place anyone expected a crop circle to appear was slap bang in the middle of London. But that's exactly what did happen last week. Where can you find wheat in London? Especially this late in the season with all of the crop in Southern England harvested many weeks ago. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew is where. The modest 60ft petal formations (pictured right) is situated in the centre of a field of organic wheat, which means there are no tram lines in the field to aid access. A Kew Gardens spokesman said: "We have no idea how it got there. It's very strange. If someone did climb over the 8ft wall to do it, they would have to have spent a lot of time in the field, because it looks like it was quite a lot of work." The field was due to be harvested earlier this week but staff delayed it to Sunday 29th to give people the chance to see the circle. The field will be harvested using traditional scythes, just like the mowing devil!

SITE UPDATE 21-9-2002: Yes, we all thought the 2002 crop circle season was well and truly over now that it's the middle of September, but if you know where to look, there's still wheat standing!

Last weekend six circlemakers including John Lundberg, Rod Dickinson and Wil Russell teamed up with Channel 4 TV's 'Richard and Judy' show and managed to find what must have been one of the last standing wheat fields in the UK. On Saturday 14th September we were all flown up to Scotland to create our most complex demonstration formation to date, a 250ft cereal portrait of the king and queen of UK daytime TV. Find out more in our new section "Celebrity Circles"

SITE UPDATE 07-9-2002:
Crop circles are now well and truly enshrined in our popular culture, so we weren't surprised when we were asked to create a formation for a pop video. The Levellers asked us to create their anarchy symbol as a crop circle (pictured right) to be used as the centrepiece in their latest video. Find out more in our new "Crop Levelling" section.

We've added some more photos of the formations we created for orange mobile to our 'Don't Just Talk' section.

SITE UPDATE 04-9-2002:
During the first week of September 2002 just as everyone had assumed that this years crop circle season was over, something unprecedented happened, four identical crop circle formations were discovered across Berkshire and Wiltshire (pictured right), two were even in the same field. Find out more and see exclusive photographs (the formations were harvested soon after they appeared) in our new 'Don't Just Talk' section.

SITE UPDATE 03-9-2002:We've just added a wadge of new content. Check out our new section "The Gathering" all about the secret circlemakers event that took place at the end of August in London. Guest of honor was the one and only Doug Bower (pictured right). We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with information about a new jaw dropper formation in Wiltshire. We've added a new section 'pair shaped' all about the crop circle we recently created in wiltshire for our new site sponsors pair.com.

NEWS UPDATE 30-8-2002:
Sign's might be hogging the headlines at the moment with its box-office success in the States, but it's not the only crop circle movie on the block. There's also a UK production called "A Place to Stay" directed by Marcus Thompson and starring that bloke Tom from Eastenders.

NEWS UPDATE 28-8-2002: If you saw this leaked article in Sunday's Observer newspaper you'd know all about this very special secret event that our friends over at Disney helped us organise. We'll be putting up a full report shortly, it really was a night to remember. Representatives from every known UK circlemaking team past and present were invited and the guest of honor was the one and only Doug Bower, one for the history books we think.

NEWS UPDATE 09-8-2002:
The crop circle movie "Signs" is still at the top of the US chart and as of Weds 8th Aug has grossed a staggering $82.5 million in the US alone since its launch last Friday 2nd Aug! The movie isn't released over here in the UK until 13th September, but circlemaker John Lundberg was lucky enough to attend the first UK press sceeening at the Odeon West End cinema in London's Leicester Square on Monday 5th Aug (UK poster pictured right). If you've seen the movie you can read his notes (which contain spoilers so be warned) over at our sister site signsmovie.co.uk.

We're going to be featured in an article in the Washington Post newspaper which should be published today or tomorrow. There's an article over at space.com which features us. It's penned by Seth Shostak from the SETI project. Also, you might have heard us on the radio in the US or UK recently as we've been asked to do several interviews.

The trailer for the upcoming crop circle documentary Quest for Truth directed by William Gazecki is now online. It doesn't give much away...

Well, we've been breaking out the champagne and cigars here at circlemakers towers today as we've just closed a sponsorship deal with those very nice people over at pair.com. Interest in the crop circle phenomenon is at an all time high primarily because of all the publicity being generated by the Mel Gibson movie "Signs". Consequently traffic to this site has gone through the roof! Government funds will only go so far, so pair.com have come to the rescue, hence the sparkly new banner over there on the left of each page.

As part of the deal we've now had the site moved over to it's very own dedicated server, hopefully you didn't notice but as a result the site should now be super fast! So, if you have any web-hosting needs go and talk to circlemaker friendly pair.com!

NEWS UPDATE 03-8-2002:
As predicted the crop circle movie "Signs" grossed over $60 million across the US during its first three days at the box office, sending it straight to the number one chart position.
It's the 12th highest opening of all time and the best opening for both the director Shyamalan and the star Mel Gibson. It's also the second largest August opening in history! Disney executives were expecting an opening weekend of $30 - $35 million, so they must be over the moon!

NEWS UPDATE 03-8-2002:
David Bowie, a fan of ours, surely not? Well this site has been picked as his "site of the month" over at davidbowie.com.

The crop circle movie "Signs" opened in 3264 cinemas across the US on Friday 2nd August and grossed a whopping $20.7 million, sending it straight to the top of the US box office chart! The movie is predicted to make a staggering $60 million during its first weekend.

NEWS UPDATE 02-8-2002:
Two of the better articles to emerge from the current spew about crop circles in the American media centered around today's release of the Disney movie "Signs" were published in the Boston Globe and msnbc.com. Both authors managed not to misquote or misrepresent us. Unlike many of the other articles we've been featured in recently, such as the screed in the LA Times which seemed to do a great job of misrepresenting everybody. They completely inverted everything we said!

"Signs" makes the cover of this weeks "Newsweek". You can read the article over at the "Newsweek" website. They also have footage from the Disney crop circle documentary that will be featured on the Signs DVD release next year. It features several croppies including Freddy Silva, Stephen Alexander, Karen Douglas and Paul Vigay.

SITE UPDATE 01-8-2002:
We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with new photos and information.

Never thought our work would end up on the pages of Hello magazine, but that's exactly what happend last week when they run a small feature on our Weetabix formation. The formation has also appeared in The Express newspaper, Maketing Week, Marketing magazine and BBC online.

NEWS UPDATE 25-7-2002:
There's a nice little piece about our site in the Online section of todays Guardian newspaper.

Mel Gibson: "You're wasting your time here, I'm not going to report this or anything you do to my crops, to the news or TV or anybody. (Shouting) YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET FAMOUS!" Well, it made us laugh anyway!

Here's another great quote from documentary maker William Gazecki illustrating just how objective his upcoming documentary "Crop Circles: Quest for Truth" is going to be: "I don't even like talking about hoaxing as it's such bullshit".

On a more positive note here's what Peter Gersten - who describes himself as a UFO lawyer - had to say about the spectacular formation at Windmill Hill: "This new crop circle has to be the most extraordinary planetary pictograph I have ever seen... it is a work of cosmic art".

NEWS UPDATE 23-7-2002:
We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with new photos and information about two recent formation in Wiltshire.

NEWS UPDATE 22-7-2002:
There's been some more coverage of the phenomenon in the media this week, both local and national including BBC News. Colin Andrews crops up talking about his two favorite topics, himself and the imminent crop circle movie "Signs". Andy Thomas talks about the recent Glastonbury Symposium to BBC News and there's another article about the spectacular Stone Henge formation.

SITE UPDATE 20-7-2002:
This years jaw dropper has arrived, check out our 'Top of the crops 2002' section for more info. Media interest continues to grow, it seems that every local newspaper in America want to run a crop circle story in the lead up to the launch of the movie "Signs". Wired magazine also cover the circles in their current issue.

Oh, now I get it, Colin Andrews works for the CIA, well I read it over at rense.com so it must be true!

Desperate for her 15 minutes of fame UK crop circle "researcher" Francine Blake has been slagging off the upcoming crop circle movie "Signs" to the UK media. Which is a bit rich, seeing as she admits that she hasn't even seen it yet, but maybe she's psychic.

SITE UPDATE 18-7-2002:
Quote of the day goes to Mel Gibson. Whilst being interviewed on MTV - complete with alien repelling tin-foil hat (pictured right) - about his upcoming crop circle movie "Signs" he had this to say about the origin of the phenomenon:

"There are certain sizes of crop circles and geometrical patterns that can only be viewed from high above that are kind of unexplained. You can't logically make sense of them in a way that you can say, "Some guys did that last night." I'm willing to concede that there could be something out there creating this strange phenomenon."

SITE UPDATE 15-7-2002:The UK media are now showing an interest in the spectacular Stone Henge formation, with articles in todays Daily Mail newspaper, a report on ananova.com and live coverage from the formation on GMTV tomorrow morning.

A new formation has been discovered in France, you can read an online report and view a TV news report - both in French - here. This brings the number of formations discovered worldwide to 80.

SITE UPDATE 11-7-2002:Yes we know swearing isn't big and isn't clever, but when the cult Channel 4 TV comedy/game show "Banzai" asked us to create a swear word formation for them we couldn't refuse. Especially when we found out that the segment was also going to feature one time pop star and crop circle researcher Reg "Wild Thing" Presley. We got on so well that Reg has threatened to put us in his upcoming book "Wild Things they don't want us to know". Read all about it in our new section "Channel four-mation"

SITE UPDATE 09-7-2002:We were out and about it Wiltshire again, this time creating a formation for Weetabix over several days at West Kennet Long Barrow. We've added a new section "Withabix" with more info about the project.

We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with information about another spectacular formation at Stone Henge in Wiltshire.

NEWS UPDATE 02-7-2002:We spent July 2nd in Wiltshire with a film crew from the History Channel's "History vs. Hollywood" show. The show will focus on the upcoming Disney movie "Signs" and how closely - or not - it represents the crop circle phenomenon. So you'll get to see interviews with us right alongside Mel Gibson! We were asked to create a complex formation for them in the shape of their logo. We had a roving camera with us during the process and finished off the day doing the interviews. The formation was created at a very sedate pace in daylight, but still only took a couple of hours to complete. We've created a new "Making History" section with more info about the project.

NEWS UPDATE 30-6-2002:Would you like a bit more makeup on your forehead Mr Andrews? Ahhh, the media blitz that is the 2002 crop circle season is now well under way. State-side it's getting difficult to avoid those pesky circles or as Disney would have us say crop "Signs"™. Colin's a busy man, so busy in fact I'm sure he's going to find it difficult to find time to fit in any of that "research" he's meant to be doing. The crop circle phenomenon itself seems to be keeping a gentle distance from all the hype, choosing instead to unfold at a sedate pace, slowly ramping up towards the inevitable season finale. Here are a couple of articles that have recently appeared in the US press. Oh yes, we're in there as well, it's called journalistic balance [ 1 ] [ 2 ].

NEWS UPDATE 23-6-2002:
Well, quote of the week must go to crop circle documentary maker William Gazecki (pictured right), he describes us as - amongst other things: "obnoxious, intimidating mindfuckers". Read an extract from his screed below, or the whole thing here:

"Human Circle making is no small feat, especially if done covertly, in the dark. There are about a dozen guys, all British, who claim they're Circle makers. Some call themselves artists. A few of these blokes are obnoxious, intimidating mindfuckers. They are intentionally deceptive, and interject confusion in the community engaged in researching the phenomenon. These people reek of disinformation and counter-intelligence. If they actually make more than 10 or 15 of the 75-150 Crop Circles that appear each year in England, I'd be very surprised. However, they are unusually dedicated, have consistent media contact, and seem to live without scarcity of resources. There is no indication of where they get their financing."

So much for the "objective nature with which Mr. Gazecki attacks his subject matter" that the press release for his upcoming documentary talks about, more like myth making.

SITE UPDATE 10-6-2002:
We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with new photos and information about another formation in Wiltshire.

SITE UPDATE 4-6-2002:
We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with information about a new formation in the UK.

NEWS UPDATE 3-6-2002:William Gazecki whose documentary about the WACO siege "WACO: The Rules of Engagement" received an academy award nomination will be releasing his new documentary about the crop circle phenomenon "Crop Circles: Quest For Truth" on August 2nd. I guess he's hoping to benefit from the interest generated in the crop circle phenomenon by the Disney movie Signs which is also slated for release in the US on Aug 2nd. We were asked to participate in the project but declined for reasons we won't go into here. The press release states that the film will be released in cinemas across America, which is rather surprising as it was shot on a domestic dv camera, so we're not sure how great it's going to look blown up to 35mm, but maybe William was going for that lo-fi documentary look!

SITE UPDATE 3-6-2002:
We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with information about new formations in the UK and Germany.

SITE UPDATE 25-5-2002:
We've updated our 'Top of the crops 2002' section with information about the first formations to appear in wheat and barley here in the UK and over in Germany.

NEWS UPDATE 17-5-2002:The official website for the low budget UK independent crop circle movie "A place to stay" (see below) is now online over at www.aplacetostay.biz. Not much there at the moment, but you can view a 2min 20sec trailer for the movie, which features some great time lapse photography of the Pewsey Vale and aerial footage of the spectacular 2002 Milk Hill formation.

NEWS UPDATE 13-5-2002:
Local news site thisiswiltshire.co.uk have penned an article about Wiltshire's first crop circle of 2002.

NEWS UPDATE 9-5-2002:
Disney's crop circle movie Signs which stars Mel Gibson has had its first public test screening at Marina Del Ray in California. Several people who were there have filed reports and the response can best be described as ecstatic! Read the reports: [1] [2] [3].

Our favourite quote this week comes from the Wiltshire local news site thisiswiltshire.co.uk: "The Circlemakers are possibly the most notorious and secret of the circlemakers. A shroud of mystery surrounds them, something they try hard to maintain." Indeed!

NEWS UPDATE 28-4-2002:
We've added a new article "Circles Birthplace". Circlemaker Doug Bower has always stated that he took his inspiration for the crop circles he created from reading about the "Tully Saucer Nest". Frances Whiting's article explores the "Tully Saucer Nest" and other UFO cases in the Tully region of Australia.

Unlike Colin Andrews who seems to be shouting his involvement with the crop circle movie "Signs" from the top of every tall building he can find, crop circle researcher Paul Vigay (pictured right) is managing to be a bit more discreet and seems to be observing the non-disclosure agreement he's signed with Disney as a researcher for the movie. But there are clues floating around out there in cyberspace for those who want to find them. For instance, Paul (unlike Colin) is listed as a researcher on imdb.com and we also managed to dig out this reference to his involvement with a documentary about the making of the movie over at iconbar.com "the documentary to accompany "Signs" should feature our favourite tech support guy (Paul Vigay), so remember to look for the DVD version". Any comments Paul?

NEWS UPDATE 27-4-2002:
Crop circle "researcher" and one time pop star Reg "Wild Thing" Presley will be releasing a book about the paranormal in September to coincide with the launch of the the movie "Signs". It's called "Wild Things They Don't Want Us to Know". But, the question on everyone's lips is, who ghost wrote it? The state cover up about the book has obviusly already started as amazon describe it as "an intimate portrait of Cilla Black"!

Advance warning for all those of you in the US, you'll get a chance to see the first full length trailer for M Night Shyamalan's crop circle movie "Signs" this Sunday April 28th on ABC during the network debut screening of his blockbuster movie "The Sixth Sense" at 8pm! If you miss it or don't live in the states you'll be able to view the trailer online at the official movie site from Monday 29th April.

NEWS UPDATE 22-4-2002:
We wait 25 years for a crop circle movie and then two come along at the same time! Hoping to slip stream in the interest generated by Disney's movie "Signs" the UK low budget independent "A place to stay" will be trying to pick up a distributor at this years Cannes film festival. The movie was shot in and around the circles heartland of Wiltshire last year and they even shot several scenes inside the vast formation that appeared atop Milk Hill towards the end of the season. You can listen to the director (pictured right) and Reg Presley (who has a cameo in the movie) talking about the project on BBC Radio and find out more on the BBC website.

So any guesses as to what the topic of veteran crop circle researcher Colin Andrews upcoming UK talk will be? Er, well, his current research is not about crop circles at all, but about movies! Yes, always a man of the media Colin will enthral his audience with information about Disney's movie "Signs"... no doubt he'll be taking a good dig around our signs section as part of his "research"!

NEWS UPDATE 21-4-2002:
It has begun, the 2002 crop circle season is now under way! As per usual it's a sedate start, with a 50ft classic formation in Hampshire. Find out more in our newly created 'Top of the crops 2002' section, where we'll keep tabs on the best bits of this years season.

Also check out our stand alone signs movie section, which has just been updated with more info about the upcoming movie.

NEWS UPDATE 5-4-2002:
Yes, as per usual it's been a bit quiet here over the winter months, but the 2002 season is fast approaching so we're gearing up for what should be a spectacular year for the crop circle phenomenon, courtesy of Hollywood and M Night Shyamalam's upcoming crop circle movie starring Mel Gibson "Signs". You can now view two teaser trailers over at the official movie site and don't forget to check out our sister site dedicated to the movie signsmovie.co.uk.

Hoping to capitalise on the rise in public interest in the crop circle phenomenon generated by the movie is Dr - of what? - John Sherwood's "1st International Crop Circle Conference" which is scheduled to take place next January in that well know circles prone area of... er Egypt! Or not as the case may be as the small print on their website states "Please note that due to unrest in the middle East if it becomes necessary then this conference will be moved to its alternative venue of Crete"! Also the fact that the venue is listed as "The Mena House Oberoi 5 star hotel... or similar hotel nearby" doesn't instill me with much confidence. I'm all for any enterprise that help raise public awareness of the crop circle phenomenon, but with a ticket price of $1,750 - which doesn't even include flights! - and a rather lack-luster list of speakers this event seems destined to fail. But, if it sounds like something you'd like to attend you can find out more and book tickets here.

British TV viewers may have noticed an advertising campaign by UK digital cable channel SKY+ that features a crop circle, we've added "X marks the spot" an article about the campaign.

NEWS UPDATE 3-12-2001:
Wow! Now this is what we call large scale land art. Australian artist Peter Anderson took a year to complete this massive head and shoulders image that spans 4.3 million-square-metres. It's much larger than the mysterious South Australian four-kilometre-long figure Marree Man, which appeared three years ago. Anderson, who paints under the name of Ando, created Eldee Man from a sketch without using navigational satellite aids. Read more here.

NEWS UPDATE 19-NOV-2001:The "Official" Signs movie website launched today, so point your browsers at signs.movies.com. They list the official release date of the movie as August 2nd 2002.

NEWS UPDATE 14-NOV-2001:separatead at birth? Check out the background images used over at cbsnews.com (pictured right), we think their web designer may well be a circlemakers.org fan and we assume the cheques in the post! UDATE: It's gone! They've now removed the background, maybe their lawyers were a bit twitchy, just like those over at Disney!

The following bogus report recently went out over the Australian newswire. It's apocryphal and completely groundless, stemming from rumours that started here in the UK during the summer, fueled by crop circle researchers paranoia about the authorship of certain formations:

SYDNEY, Australia (Wireless Flash) -- An Australian paranormal researcher is accusing Disney Studios of faking crop circles around the world to promote an upcoming movie. Paranormal researcher Tim Bull -- better known as "Tim the Yowie Man" -- says there has been a tremendous increase in crop circles sightings in places that usually don't have crop circles, such as South Africa. Bull believes the bumper crop of mysterious circles is a publicity stunt by Disney to promote Signs, a new film starring Mel Gibson as a farmer who discovers a crop circle on his field. Disney spokeswoman Heidi Trotta insists the studio isn't planting crop circles, but is happy people are thinking about the movie which will open next summer.

One of our deep cover informants recently sent us a photo (pictured right) of a stencil they spotted in central London!

NEWS UPDATE 25-OCT-2001:Well, the season is now well and truly over with the last formation appearing here in the UK in September. But you can now wander around a crop circle from the comfort of your own home courtesy of Brian Pratt who has created a 3d navigable version of the Arecibo Reply formation that appeared at Chibolton Radio Observatory in Hampshire during August. Oh, we advise you to turn your sound down as Brian has added a rather annoying midi file to the page! You can wander through the 3d formation here.